


a life for a life for a life

by MarbledOpalescence



Category: Inn Between (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon typical character death, LIKE A LOT OF ANGST, M/M, MINOR DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE, Minor descriptions of injuries, ie i describe their injuries very briefly and also mention a couple of specifics about the fight, ie someone dies but they come back, in the meantime though they are all very sad, i’m telling you guys it’s real sad boy hours in here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21715399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarbledOpalescence/pseuds/MarbledOpalescence
Summary: In another world, Meltyre is the one that sacrifices himself to help the others defeat the Bone King. What would change and what would stay the same?
Relationships: Sterling Whitetower/Meltyre (Inn Between)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	a life for a life for a life

**Author's Note:**

> This came about during a discussion with some friends where I went a little hog wild and basically wrote a whole fic at them. So I decided to actually adapt it properly and upload it! I hope you enjoy <3

In this world, the party defeats the Bone King, losing one of their number only to bring her back again.

In another world, they still succeed, but a different sacrifice is made.

* * *

_”RAAH!”_

_“Sterling, look out!”_

_“Meltyre, no-!”_

* * *

The door creaks open and they are quiet as they walk inside. Betty is still bloody from the aftermath of the fight; after the Bone King fell, so did his minions, but it was a long and harsh journey to get there. Fina is hushed, her normally jolly spirit quieted. They are supporting each other, like they always do. Velune is tired, always old but today somehow looking older still, leaning heavily on their staff. And Sterling...Sterling walks in last, his arms full of a body he has not put down since the battle. His eyes are distant and his face etched with lines of grief.

They claim their usual table, Fina coaxing everyone to sit down and relax, trying to talk of their victory in order to tease a chuckle, at least a smile out of them, but it doesn’t work. Velune hauls themself to their feet, using the last of their energy to heal their friends. Betty sits quietly as they pull an arrow out of her arm, holding Fina’s hand while Velune bandages a cut on her chest.

“Hey, pretty boy,” Fina says finally, “You’ve got to put the kid down. There’s nothing we can do for him now and you’ve got to let Velune heal you.”

“No.” Sterling’s voice is quiet but firm, breaking his silence for the first time since his healing had failed to work on Meltyre.

_(He had kneeled, in the blood and the mud, hands on Meltyre’s chest and prayed, but nothing had come. It seemed St. Cuthbert knew a hopeless cause when the god saw it. Sterling had collapsed then, pleading and praying, clutching Meltyre’s chest and sobbing.)_

“Sterling, come on, you’re _bleeding_ -”

“I said _no_ , Fina!” he snaps, raising his head to look at her. His hat is long gone, his eyes are red and puffy, and blood from a cut on his head has covered half his face and dried there.

“Sterling.” Betty’s voice is tired, tired as the rest of her. “He’s gone. You can’t let yourself follow him, let Velune heal you.”

“No, I-”

“There is a time to grieve for fallen friends, but Meltyre wouldn’t have wanted you to follow him like this!”

Sterling’s face crumples and he bends over again, tears leaving fresh tracks down his face.

“It should have been me! I promised him, I _swore_ to him that he would make it back to his sisters. And what did he do! The fool pushed me out of the way! Why...why would he do that, he didn’t have any protection, _I’m_ supposed to be the one who protects people-”

Betty’s chair scrapes on the floor as she stands up, pulling Sterling into an embrace.

“It’s alright, Sterling,” she says, letting him sob into her shoulder, “It’s alright.”

Velune watches them, feeling their heart sink in their chest.

“I...There might be a way.”

“Wh-what?”

“I might have a way to bring back Meltyre.” Velune carefully avoids looking anyone in the eye as they say this.

“But how…” Sterling pulls away from Betty as he stares at Velune in astonishment.

“I...I have something to tell you.”

The explanation goes much like it does in the other world, except there is no Meltyre to ask questions. Instead there is Fina, who looks at Velune with a carefully sharp eye.

“That sounds an awful lot like you’re suggesting murder, Velune. As much as I love the kid, I don’t think he’d forgive himself or us if we killed someone to bring him back.”

“That’s not the only way, it’s just one of the easiest.” They laugh uncomfortably, shrugging their shoulders. “Murder victims are far easier to come by than gems of the quality needed to perform the spell. There is also a time limit to how long our window is to raise him.”

“What are we waiting for, then?” Sterling says, hoisting Meltyre’s body into his arms again. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, paladon’t, what are you talking about?”

“Castle Whitetower. You said we needed gems, Velune?” They nod wordlessly. “Well, fortunately that is not something I am in short supply of.”

“Well, alright!” Fina says, jumping down from the chair. “What are we waiting for?”

“Wait,” Betty says, holding out an arm to stop Fina as she trots toward the door, “What are we going to do about Meltyre?”

Sterling unconsciously clutches the body closer to his chest.

“Betty is right, Sterling,” Velune says worriedly. “I don’t think anyone we run into on the road will be quite as forgiving of necromancy as you three have been, and travelling openly with a body like that will cause lots of questions and delays that we really can’t afford.”

Fina snaps her fingers. “I got it! Miss Tessa was throwing out an old rug, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind us taking it off her hands. We can wrap the kid up in that while we travel, nice and easy.”

“And we’ll need horses,” Betty says gruffly, “Velune said we have a time limit, so we need to move fast.”

“I’ll take care of any expense,” Sterling says, eyes dry and ferocious.

“Alright then!” Fina says, clapping her hands together. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go get some horses. Pretty boy is paying.”

Velune places their hand on shoulder, their voice full of concern. “Sterling…”

“I’ll be _fine_ , Velune. I just. I need to get him back.”


End file.
